perpetuated by American backpacker hippies since the 1970's. I am only partially kidding. This is a good time for a rant/PSA on the eurotrain myth.

Unless you are single traveler, cars and planes are a much faster and cheaper way to travel - and I am including Italy in that where tolls are the highest, gas is a small fortune and the towns are often dotted with the smallest roads and most difficult turns. And keep in mind that Europe has the Autobahn and the Autostrada, as well as plenty of other great roads, that totally ignore the venerable choo choo.

Cars are faster, and much more comfortable. And contrary to another silly belief, parking is not that hard to find. You can get off the beaten path, maximize your time and alter your itinerary in a heartbeat. And when you get to town, if you don't have a car and want to see something on the outskirts, you are stuck paying a fortune in taxis or taking slow buses to whatever you want to see, and hoping they work out.

Planes are also better. Last time I priced our family's tickets between Milan and Naples, the price between flying and training was about $200 for four tickets. Unfortunately, I chose to take the train (due to a couple unfortunate reasons). What a joy, and after almost 5 hours (the fast train was late - as usual) with an elementary field trip running up and down the train. Even my kids hated the train by the time we got there.

Even on a crowded A4, I can easily beat the train from Milan to Venice, because it will inevitably have delays and slow sections.

Admittedly, there are a few train routes I do take when I need to, but only a few.

The reality is that more Europeans would use cars, if they weren't so expensive and gas wasn't twice the price of the U.S.